1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a lamination system for thermocompression bonding of a transparent film on a surface of an ID card on which such as a photograph of a person and personal data are printed. More specifically, the present invention concerns a wasteless type lamination system for laminating a surface of an ID card with a transparent film chosen from films different in width, successively cutting the continuous film that has been rolled in a supply roll into a predetermined length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, ID cards of various type are being widely used. In order to protect an ID card from tampering or to improve the life of the ID card, a transparent film of about 30 microns in thickness is laminated by a thermocompression bonding on a surface of the ID card on which information data are printed. Lamination systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,807,461, 5,783,024 and 6,159,327 are known as systems suitable for such lamination.
In a lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,461, a transparent film pre-cut in a predetermined shape (a patch) is mounted on a carrier (a base sheet). The carrier is provided with sensor marks (index markings) for detecting position of the pre-cut patch on the carrier. The lamination system detects the sensor mark prior to the lamination to detect the position of the pre-cut patch, then tears the patch from the carrier and laminates the patch on a surface of a printed ID card by thermocompression bonding. Such lamination system is undesirable in view of the operation cost and the protection of environment, since the carrier is thrown away as waste material.
The above problem has been solved in lamination systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,327 and these systems are being practically used. In these lamination systems, a leading edge of a continuous transparent laminate film is drawn out from a supply roll, then transferred along a supply path, then cut in a predetermined length, then the cut laminate film is laid on a printed ID card transferred along another supply path at the convergence zone of the two supply paths, and then laminated on the surface of the ID card by thermocompression bonding using a heat roller provided at the downstream. These lamination systems, called wasteless type lamination systems, are advantageous since the laminate film is used after being cut in a necessary length, and accordingly, no waste carrier such as in the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,461 is left.
Further in U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,327, a lamination system for laminating both faces of an ID card using apparatuses similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024 is disclosed.
In the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024, only a laminate film having a width of one kind can be used. In the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,327, two laminate films each having a different width with each other can be used. In this lamination system, however, each of laminate films having a certain predetermined width can only be laminated on a face or a back of an ID card. Accordingly, in case that an ID card such as shown in attached FIG. 6 on a surface of which a magnetic stripe 330 is provided is to be laminated, the input direction of the card into the lamination system must be restricted.
Thus, in the lamination system such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,024 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,327, a transverse distance between film guide members provided along a film transfer path is adapted to a width of a film used and fixed beforehand, since the system has no function to align the film being transferred along a desired side of the film transfer path. ID cards are treated by a card printer to have various surfaces according to uses. Accordingly, in order to laminate a film on one of such ID cards, the film need to be chosen according to the surface of the ID card. However, in the lamination system of the prior art, it has been impossible to laminate a surface of an ID card with a film chosen from films different in width, using an identical lamination system.
Further, although each of two laminate films having different width with each other can be laminated on a face or a back of an ID card in the lamination system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,327, there has been still a problem that it is impossible to laminate each of arbitrary combined films each having a different width on the face or the back of the ID card respectively.
These problems have adverse effects on the convenience of the system for users, and consequently, prevent tamper-resistant and long life ID cards from spreading.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide a lamination system that is capable of laminating a surface of an ID card with a laminate film chosen from laminate films different in width by practicing the lamination while aligning the laminate film along a desired side end of a film transfer path, and that yields a minimum of waste laminate films and thus contributes to the protection of environment as well as to the reduction of the operational cost.
To achieve the above object, a lamination system according to the present invention comprises; a film transfer means for transferring along a first transfer path a continuous film chosen from more than two kinds of films different in width, having a heat adhesive layer on a surface and drawn out from a supply roll, a cutting means provided along the first transfer path for cutting the film in a predetermined length, a card transfer means for transferring an ID card along a second transfer path that converges with the first transfer path at a predetermined point of conversion, a thermocompression bonding means for laminating the film cut and laid on a surface of the ID card with the ID card at the downstream of the point of conversion. The lamination system is provided with a set of guide members for restricting the transverse movement of the film within a distance corresponding to the maximum width of the films, and alignment means for aligning the film along a desired side end of the first transfer path.
In the lamination system according to the present invention, it is possible to laminate a film chosen from films different in width according to a surface of an ID card on a desired part of a surface of the ID card. Further, it is possible to laminate each of arbitrary combined such films on a corresponding desired part of each of surfaces of the ID card. Furthermore, the lamination system according to the present invention yields a minimum of waste laminate film and thus contributes to the protection of environment as well as to the reduction of the operational cost, since the laminate film is used after being cut in a necessary length.